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When Worlds Collide (Life Before Columbus and European Expansion)

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When Worlds Collide (Life Before Columbus and European Expansion) Unit Title: When Worlds Collide (Life before Columbus and European Expansion) Course: U.S. History Subject/Topic Areas: Pre-Columbian societies, early inhabitants of Americas, indigenous cultures at the time of European contact Key words: Civilization, Maya, Aztec, Cahokia, Mesoamerica, Southwest, Mississippi Valley, Northeast, Columbian Exchange. NOTE: See Student Unit Plan Handout for a full list of key terms. Grade Level: 10th Grade (Advanced Placement) Time Frame: 15 days Unit Designer: Trina Reney Bryant School District: Boston, Massachusetts School: Academy of the Pacific Rim Advanced Placement “Standards”: The Advanced Placement curriculum divides United States History into 28 sections. The first section is titled “Pre-Columbus societies.” Students are asked to examine and analyze: 1) early inhabitants of the Americas; 2) American Indian empires in Mesoamerica, the Southwest, and the Mississippi Valley; and 3) American Indian cultures of North America at the time of European contact. Massachusetts History Standards—Pre-Colonial Period Performance statement: Each student can describe key characteristics of the ancient cultures of the Americas and West Africa. Each student can explain the underlying forces driving European expansion during the 15th and 16th centuries. Explain the causes of European expansion, including the rise of nation-states, development of sophisticated weaponry and sailing technologies, interest in trade sparked by the Crusades, Renaissance spirit, population pressures, religious upheaval, and depletion of European gold and silver mines. Describe the intentions, main events, and consequences of Christopher Columbus’ voyages to the Americas. Analyze historical narratives detailing the “discovery” of the Americas, focusing upon the descriptions of early encounters between Europeans and native populations. Brief Summary of Unit: In the United States History curriculum, indigenous groups are often marginalized and depicted as victims of European invaders. In writings from Las Casas and Columbus, Indigenous peoples are described as either the “noble savage” or as “natural creatures that dwelt gentle as cows…waiting for Christian instruction” (Mann, 14). However, it is important for students to understand that there was life before Columbus. Columbus did not “discover” America; instead he stumbled into the lives and literally into the homes of families, communities, civilizations and empires. The early inhabitants of the Americas had established varied and diverse cultures and civilizations. Some historians even argue that some of the indigenous cultures, like the Mayans and Aztec, had civilizations far more complex and advanced than their European counterparts in 600 AD (Sharer, 126). For this unit, students will analyze the diverse civilizations that existed in the Americas prior to the conquest by examining primary sources and artifacts. Students will review the differences between primary and secondary sources. They will be given tools to help them analyze documents (i.e., SPICER) and they will be introduced to techniques used for responding to Document Based Questions (DBQ). The final project for this unit will be the first in-class DBQ for the year. What enduring understandings are desired? Students will be able to understand the complexities of pre-Columbian Societies and the American indigenous cultures of North and Central America at the time of European contact. Students will analyze the indigenous communities in Mesoamerica, the Southwest, Bryant – When Worlds Collide p. 1 the Mississippi Valley and the Northeast. This study and discussion will fit into the broader theme of the class: constructing the American identity. By the end of class students will be able to discuss the complexity/diversity of both the Native American and American identity. What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching and learning? 1. Define the word civilized. 2. What constitutes a civilization? 3. What makes a civilization advanced? 4. What were the differences and similarities between civilizations in the Americas and in Europe during the first century and between 400–900 AD? 5. What was life like before Columbus/European Contact? 6. How did Hernan Cortez and other conquistadors affect life in the Americas during the 1500s? 7. How did indigenous communities affect their environment 8. What were the social, political, intellectual, cultural, economic and religious (SPICER) structures of various native groups? What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit? In a five-paragraph essay students will be able to write a well-structured DBQ response to the following statement: The early inhabitants of the Americas had established varied and diverse cultures and civilizations. Evaluate this statement. In preparation for responding to the DBQ essay prompt, students will be able to analyze a variety of primary and secondary documents. This analysis will help students construct their response to the essay question. Bibliography: Faragher, John M., Mari Jo Buhle, Daniel Czitrom, Susan H. Armitage, Out of Many, AP Edition. Prentice Hall, Boston, 2011. Gates, William (translator), and Friar Diego de Landa, Yucatan: Before and After The Conquest. Dover Publication, Inc, New York, 1978. Sharer, Robert J. Daily Life in Maya Civilization (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series). Greenwood Pub Group, Westport, Connecticut, 2011. Villegas, Daniel C. A Compact History of Mexico. El Colegio de Mexico, 2004. Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. Harper and Row, New York, 2010. Breaking the Maya Code. Dir. David Lebrun. Night Fire Films, 2008. http://www.nightfirefilms.org/breakingthemayacode/the.production.htm Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, http://nmai.si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/ El Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, http://www.inah.gob.mx/index.php/english Major Assessments Mini-project: Native American Exhibit Multiple Choice Test DBQ1: Evaluate the following statement: The early inhabitants of the Americas had established varied and diverse cultures and civilizatiosn. FRQ1: Which factors (SPICER) most influenced European expansionism? Unit Plan Handout for Students: At the beginning of each unit of study, student swill receive a handout like the one below. They should hole punch handouts and keep them in their binder. By the end of the year they will have a collection of unit plan handouts that will help them study for the final exam. Bryant – When Worlds Collide p. 2 Unit 1: When Worlds Collide (Life before Columbus and European Expansion) Overview: The original exploration, discovery and settlement of North and South America occurred thousands of years before Christopher Columbus was born. In fact, many archeologists now believe that the first people to settle North America arrived as early as 40,000 years ago when they crossed a land bridge that then connected Siberia and Alaska. Despite this fact, Christopher Columbus was at one time credited with having “discovered” the Americas. In the same vein, native groups were often described by their European counterparts as the “uncivilized” and “inferior” other. However, many historians now argue that there was life before Columbus. In 1492, Columbus did not “discover” America; instead he stumbled into the lives and literally into the homes of diverse families, communities, civilizations and empires. Although diverse civilizations existed in the Americas prior to European exploration, Columbus’s “discovery” had enormous consequences for Native Americans and the world at large; it established for the first time in history, permanent interaction between Europeans and Native Americans. These interactions were both positive and negative. On the one hand, transatlantic interaction increased the exchange of goods and ideas between people. On the other hand, European violence and diseases unleashed untold suffering for native populations. For example, in the years after 1492, as many as three million Taino Indians on the island of Hispaniola lost their lives. By 1550, very few Tainos remained alive. Who—and/or what—was responsible for this decline? For the next few weeks, we will examine life before Columbus by analyzing the civilization of various Native American groups. We will also examine the voyages of Christopher Columbus as well as the tragic decimation of native populations Key terms: Define these terms. Life Before Columbus 1) Mississippians (Cahokia) 2) Mound Builders 3) Bering Strait 4) Clovis Tradition 5) Desert Culture (e.g., Shoshone) 6) Mesoamerica 7) Teotihuacan 8) Aztec/Mexica 9) Maya 10) Pueblo (Anasazi) 11) Eastern Woodland Tribes 12) Five Iroquois Chiefdoms/Nations 13) Algonquin Confederacies (Powhatan) 14) Tainos/Arawak 15) Matrilineal and Patrilineal Bryant – When Worlds Collide p. 3 European Exploration 16) Christopher Columbus 17) Columbian Exchange 18) Ferdinand and Isabella 19) Treaty of Tordesillas 20) Civilized and Primitive 21) Hernan Cortes 22) Encomiendas and hacienda system 23) Conquistador 24) Francisco Pizarro 25) Jacques Cartier 26) Protestant Reformation What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching and learning? 1. What does it mean to be civilized? What are elements of a civilization? 2. Was Columbus a hero, a villain, both or neither? 3. Who—and/or what— was responsible for the decline of Native American populations? 4. How did Hernan Cortez and other conquistadors affect life in the Americas during the 1500s?
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